For as Long as She Lives or Otherwise Exists
by John Reed
Summary: Things are changing around Elena, and she is trying to find out why. Continuation of the "Vampires and Witches and Elena" group of stories aka "Elena and the Pledge". This story begins in the last chapter of "Witches and Rings". aj81writing is Beta...
1. Our Story So Far

_It has been over a year and a half since this story began, and has been months since the last part was posted. So, if you need a reminder of where it is, or just want to try it out from this point on, here is a summary of our story so far..._…

**Part 1 - Vampires and Withches and Elena****.** Story begins where Season 1 ended. Damon has just kissed Katherine, thinking she is Elena. In this story, Damon stays nearby after Katherine enters, sees Elena enter, and follows. Katherine confronts Elena and Damon, then leaves. Elena goes to help Jeremy while Damon buries John Gilbert (who has died).

Bonnie sees a vision of Damon burying John's body and attacks him. He is saved by Elena, but Katherine threatens to kill Bonnie because of what he did to Damon (in this story, Katherine is back in town to see if she still likes Damon or Stefan). Elena does all she can to protect Bonnie, but in the end Bonnie confronts Katherine herself. To keep Katherine from killing Bonnie, Elena pledges her loyalty to Katherine. Damon agrees to help Elena with whatever arises because of her pledge.

**Part 2 – The Replacement.** Katherine decides she wants to replace Elena to get closer to Damon and Stefan. She forces Elena to stay at Bonnie's house (Bonnie is in the hospital from the confrontation in the previous story), and takes over for Elena. Katherine is soon bored with Stefan and after dropping hints to Damon, decides to let Elena have her life back. While walking to Bonnie's house to tell Elena, she is kidnapped by vampires and a human who are after Elena. After learning their plan for her, she, Damon and Elena devise a plan in which she will pretend to be Elena and let the vampires take her. Then Elena will pretend to be her to distract them enough to take them hostile vampires out. The plan works, but before leaving, Katherine obtains a promise from Bonnie to protect Elena, and makes sure Damon knows she is interested in him.

**Part 3 – Home by Suppertime.** After an ugly scene with Stefan, who does not approve of Elena's pledge, Damon and Isobel take Elena on a job for Katherine. They are to deliver a ring to a vampire with Elena pretending to be Katherine. It goes bad, and they escape with Elena unconscious, their car destroyed. Damon carries Elena away from the house while Isobel remains behind to cover them and call for help. When Elena wakes up, Damon has bandaged her with strips torn from his shirt. She tells him that though she has feelings for him, she plans to stay with Stefan, which seems to upset him. While Damon is protecting her, Elena reconsiders, and tells him she will give him a chance with her. She ends up kissing him, which is interrupted when they are found by a hostile vampire. Damon keeps the hostile away from Elena until help arrives. Stefan is there, and Katherine sends Elena home with him while she and Damon go back to Mystic Falls together. When they arrive, later than expected, Elena is worried about what is going on between Damon and Katherine. Katherine informs Elena that, against Elena's wishes, she will assign other vampires to stay near her and protect her. She also gives Elena a phone that will give her directe access to Katherine, but tells Elena to use it only when she is in danger.

**Part 4 – Choices and Consequences .** Stefan can tell that Elena is changing and is upset. Damon decides to take Elena up on her offer to give him a chance, Elena is relieved that he is still willing. After hearing of "animal attacks" near Mystic Falls, Elena convinces Damon, Bonnie and Alaric to check them out with her. As she picks Damon up, he gives her a beautiful bracelet which he says is a token of their agreement for her to give him a chance. She will keep it, or give it back if she decides not to choose him.

When they arrive at the area of the attacks, Damon enters the woods alone, thinking he has found a trail. When he is gone, Elena sees the vampires Katherine has assigned to protect her for the first time. She calls Stefan to help her and sends Bonnie and Alaric to find Damon (Elena has become so cranky that the witch and the teacher are happy to go). When Stefan arrives, he warns her that other vampires are near, but she says the 'idiots' won't help (a nickname she starts using when referring the vampires Katherine has around her.)

Stefan takes her into the woods, finding Alaric and Bonnie under attack. Damon has found hostile vampires, tried to lead them away from Elena, and contacted Katherine about the problem. Katherine has entered to woods as well. Eventually Elena hears that Katherine is fighting for her life, but has instructed that Elena leave the woods for her own protection. She refuses to leave and with Alaric, Bonnie and the one remaining idiot (the others having left earlier to help Damon or Katherine) finds and saves Katherine and Damon.

**Part 5 – Protecting Jeremy. **After Damon takes Elena dancing, she is confronted by Jeremy who insists that she take him to where Anna and Vicki used to hang when they were vampires. She finally agrees to take him to where she and Damon last saw vampires. After an incident occurred there, she starts to worry about protecting him. She asks Katherine if she has the ring John Gilbert wore when she killed him, and being told she did, Elena asks Katherine to give it to her to give to Jeremy. Katherine becomes very angry and refuses.

Elena approached Bonnie to make such a ring for Jeremy, but was refused. She returned home and was visited by Katherine, who had reconsidered and decided that, because of her trust for Elena, she would give Jeremy the ring.

**Part 6 – Jenna and the Choice.** While Elena is on a job for Katherine, Alaric arrives to stay with Jenna and finds her under attack. Damon and Stefan are already there, fighting a vampire and two humans. When Alaric arrives and takes down a human, he is shot by the other. The attackers take the injured man and leave, Damon and Stefan take Jenna and the dying Alaric to Bonnie's house. Bonnie refuses to let Damon enter, but Jenna and Stefan do, where Alaric dies. Isobel, having heard of his condition, arrives and talks her way into Bonnie's house.

Damon tries to find the attackers. He does and is joined by Isobel, who left Bonnie's house after Alarics recovery. Jenna is told about vampires and Elena's pledge. Hearing that Elena is on her way back to town and that she is close, Damon manages to get into the house with hostile vampires and humans, though injured and as a prisoner. Isobel is left outside. Elena arrives and tries to go in, but is kept out by Isobel until they formulate a plan and arm her. They manage to get one hostile vampire out of the house while Elena is thrown inside. As Damon fights the remaining vampire inside, Elena finds herself confronted by the human homeowner, who, even though she has injured and subdued him, refuses to invite the other vampires in. When she thinks Damon is about to lose, she does the unthinkable, allowing Isobel and other vampires inside.

When Elena learns that her family is coming to her after Bonnie did a locator spell, she asks Damon to take her someplace they can be alone before she has to face Jenna. When she does finally talk to Jenna, she convinces Damon to compel Jenna to forget about the experience, vampires and Elena's dealings with them.

**Part 7 – Livin' the Life that she Chose. **Elena's friends are upset with her because Jenna was forced to forget. She is talking to Bonnie about it when Damon arrives to tell them that Katherine has learned that a band of vampires has come to town to take out Elena. Bonnie is convinced to invite Damon in, where, after realizing that this could be the end, Elena tells Damon that she would keep the bracelet, she has chosen him.

With Katherine having Stefan and another vampire take Jeremy and Jenna to safety, with Isobel bringing Alaric into the mix, Elena decides to leave Bonnie's house to try to draw the hostile vampires, who have been setting fires around town to draw her out, out of town. Eventually she succeeds and ends up on a hill out of town, surrounded by fire as a wall between her and 50 or so hostiles. She and Bonnie work out a plan that lures the hostile vampires into the fire ring while they leave, causing most of the enemy to be burned. Katherine and others mop up after they escape. Elena learns that the experience has brought back Jenna's memory and that she must face Jenna now, as well as tell Stefan of her decision to choose Damon. And she learns that Katherine received help from a vampire named Nathaniel as she protected Elena, and that Katherine has promised to loan Elena to Nathaniel in return.

**Part 8 – Paying the Debt****. **Elena asks Stefan to watch over Jenna what she, Bonnie, Alaric and Isobel go with Katherine to Nathaniel. She is told that she is to meet with witches and negotiate an agreement on Nathaniel's behalf. She is not allowed to have vampires with her, so she, Bonnie and Alaric go to the meeting. At first she meets Sarah, a blonde witch about her age, who is nice, so she is hopeful. However, she is soon attacked by one of the witches, and only saved by Alaric's ring _(The ring works differently in this story, it will save anyone who wears it. Really, the way the ring works in the show makes little sense…)_

Elena convinces Katherine to let her keep working on the agreement, even after another attack on her – this time by vampires. Katherine insists on going into the witch's house with Elena, and Sarah agrees. Elena finishes the job right at sunset, and is unexpectedly attacked by hostile vampires who enter the house at that time. Damon and Katherine pull a ruse where Katherine pretends to be Elena as she is confronted by the hostile witch, with Elena interceding at the right time to cause enough of a distraction for Katherine to kill the witch. When learning that the hostile witch acted alone, and the hostile vampires had come from the house next door, the neighbor's house is entered and a specific threat against Elena is found. Also, Katherine is so impressed by Sarah, who saved Elena twice during these events, that she offers to pay the blonde witch for her future help.

**Part 9 – Witches and Rings**. Upon returning to Mystic Falls, Katherine learns that one of the vampires left there to watch over Elena's house is missing. Elena is kept away until they are sure it is safe, then is confronted by Jenna who can tell that she has been hurt. Jenna learns that Elena died on her trip to the witches house and threatens to interfere. Stefan insists on being told why they don't know who is attacking Elena, which leads Alaric to recall that he has a ring obtained from one of the vampires that was killed trying to get to Elena. Isobel has a similar ring. They decide to try to research the rings to determine who made them. When Sarah is consulted, she learns that it is from her family. She quickly goes to Mystic Falls to talk to Elena, revealing that she and her mother were formerly dark witches, but had left the rest of the family and were trying to change.

Isobel learns that the ring is from Sarah's family as well, which causes confrontations between Elena, Sarah and Damon. They learn that a number of vampires and witches have come to Mystic Falls to try to get Elena. These have split up and are at looking for Elena at Bonnie's house as well as her home and other places. Damon is hit by spells a couple of times, as is Jeremy. They are healed by Sarah, who learned the spells at a young age while her family was working for vampires. They end up separated with Bonnie and Stefan trying to convince a group of hostile witches that Elena is at Bonnie's house, Katherine finding the headquarters of the attackers and capturing a hostile witch, and Elena and Sarah being told to leave town.

In the end, Katherine attacks the headquarters but is captured, though they think they have Elena . Damon finds the place and thinks she is Elena and ends up captured himself. Sarah, who has found out that witches from her family are being forced against their will to hunt Elena, manages to lead a rescue of Damon and Katherine, allowing only the hostile vampires to be destroyed. She allows the witches to leave. Elena learns that Bonnie has started having doubts about helping her, and that Jeremy and Sarah were starting to like each other. She is also worried about Damon acting so rashly against people she trusts, but resolves that she and Damon will stay together and work out their issues.

In the Epilogue, Elena has become so upset about the recent attacks on her and the injury caused to her family and friends that she has asked Damon to go with her to find her attackers. He agrees, but before they go, they find that her protection is gone. She doesn't know why, and decides to call Katherine to see what has changed…

* * *

><p><em>Now you're caught up. Yay. Let's get it on!...<em>


	2. Loyalty

_The game begins again...come and play!_

_Thansk to aj81writing who performed Beta duties on this story. I am grateful (and you would be too if you saw this before she got ahold of it...)_

Loyalty

"Voicemail," Elena whispered, "Though it rang first."

"That's good, right?" Stefan said quickly, before Elena scowled and put a finger to her lips to tell him to be quiet.

"Katherine, it's Elena. Can you call me, please?"

"Why would you…" Stefan began before Elena interrupted him.

"Stefan! Let me think."

She glanced at Damon, whose face showed concern, before she closed her eyes to think, her phone still in her hand.

Damon glanced at his brother. Stefan was scowling, though he stayed where he was, a few feet from where Damon and Elena sat on her bed.

"The vampires were outside when you came, right Damon?" She asked.

"Yes."

She took a deep breath and then addressed both of them, looking between them as she spoke. "Will you two see if you can find out where they were, see if you can follow them? Maybe figure out where they went?"

"Why would we do that?" Stefan asked.

"Because she asked us to," Damon growled. He was already headed towards the window, but he turned back to glare at Stefan.

"Then you'd better run along," Stefan said with a dismissive wave of his hand, looking at Damon until he turned and went through the window.

Elena watched Damon go, then stood and faced Stefan. Before she could say anything, he spoke. "Why are you doing this Elena? This is what we wanted – Katherine leaving you alone."

"We?" Elena shot back.

"Yeah, we," the vampire responded. "You did it to save Bonnie, but admit it Elena. You never wanted to make that stupid pledge."

"I made it, Stefan," Elena responded angrily. "It saved Bonnie and more – you know that. Anyway, Katherine has never asked me to do anything I wasn't willing to do."

"Of course not. You do everything she wants you to. You're just her minion."

He knew it was the wrong thing to say, that she hated being called a 'minion'. He had never called her that before, of course. He was trying to get back on her good side, but whatever he tried hadn't worked.

Her reaction was immediate – she was fuming. "Is that what I was when I did what you asked me to do, Stefan? Is that what I was to you?"

"No," the vampire responded quickly. "You know that. I loved you and you loved me. I never demanded your loyalty."

Elena had moved to stand close to him now. She almost poked him with her finger, but was able to hold back, as she said, "But I gave it you. I gave it to you and I gave it to Katherine."

He was trying to think of a response when she spoke again. "I haven't revoked my pledge and she hasn't told me I'm released from it. It's my job to protect her for as long as I live, so until I can tell that she is OK, I'll be looking for her. If you can't understand that, then you don't know anything about loyalty – or me."

She wasn't really glaring at him, but her face was firm as she added, "Now are you going to help Damon or not?"

He wanted to stay there, to stare her into submission, but he knew she wouldn't budge. He turned and left without speaking.

* * *

><p><span>The Prisoner<span>

Katherine was sure her captor was a vampire. She assumed he was incredibly strong, even though she hadn't been able to approach him close enough to find that out for herself. She was also sure there was a powerful witch involved and that some kind of spell was keeping her in her prison.

Not that her prison was all that awful. It was more like a hotel room – everything she would need. There were even a few bags of blood in the refrigerator – not that she trusted them enough to drink any of it.

But somehow she was bound – forced to stay inside. And when her captor did appear, he just entered the room, stopped a few feet inside the door, and spoke to her. She had quickly given up trying to attack him – whatever the spell was, it kept her several feet away from him. Yet, when he left, she could reach the door again.

He hadn't taken anything from her, not even her phone. She had heard it ringing earlier, but had let it go to voicemail when she saw that the caller was Elena.

She thought she had been in this prison for several days – though she wasn't really sure how many. She also wasn't sure why Elena would be calling her now. The human girl was only supposed to call her if she was in danger, though it really hadn't worked out that way. Still, Katherine was sure that, whatever the problem, those who were with Elena could handle it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her captor entered her room again. This time she stayed put, this time she managed to stay seated and just glare at him.

He looked mildly amused as he spoke to her. "You didn't take her call. You always answer when she calls. Always."

"Her?" Katherine asked, trying to control her surprise.

"Elena Gilbert."

When he said no more, she asked, "How would you know?"

"I have my ways," was his infuriating reply, though she didn't really get upset until he added, "She'll come after you. She'll find you."

"No, she won't, and why would you care, anyway. She's nothing to you."

He laughed this time. "She's not nothing, but you know that better than anyone. And she will come for you – you know that better than anyone as well."

"What makes you think that?" Katherine asked angrily.

"I don't think it, I know it." He no longer seemed amused, his face was hard now. "Some of those you have posted around her aren't quite as loyal to you as you think."

"What do you want from me?" she asked, but he was already out of the room. It wasn't the first time she had asked that question, but it was the first time she thought she knew the answer.

She resolved, again, to not bring anyone else into this, if she could help it. When she was brought to her room, she was out, maybe unconscious, under a spell of some kind. When she awoke, she saw that she had missed a call from Isobel. Isobel had called again, but she ignored it, unsure of what she wanted from the other vampire. She wanted to figure out where she was, why she was here, and then she would decide who to bring into the situation, then she would know what to do.

Whatever happened, she did not want to bring Elena here; not now that the human girl seemed to be the target. She knew she would have to be careful about what she told Isobel. Elena and her mother were fairly close. Either could bring the other here, whether it was intentional or not. Now that she knew her phone was under surveillance, she wasn't going to take calls from either Elena or Isobel.

Still, she was beginning to think she needed help from somewhere.

* * *

><p><span>Not Normal<span>

"Katherine won't be happy," the vampire next to Isobel said.

Isobel was trying to ignore him. She knew he was right, but she had made her mind up. Katherine was unavailable, had been for several days. She had not responded to anybody's messages.

This was not the normal Katherine. The normal Katherine was always doing something, always controlling them. She certainly controlled those around Elena, never leaving them in place for very long . They would come back, of course, after a few days away, but she was always switching them around.

The normal Katherine always responded to Isobel's calls. Not that she answered the phone immediately, like she always did with Elena, but she would respond later that day. Katherine would not have let Isobel's calls go unanswered for days, like she had this time.

Elena's mother was not sure she was doing the right thing, though. She was tempted to talk to her daughter, to bring the subject up. But Elena was no fool, and if Isobel asked if Elena had spoken to Katherine recently, the human girl would know that something was wrong. The human girl would insist on being involved.

Whatever was up with Katherine, if she wanted Elena involved, she would have contacted Elena. Until that contact was made, Isobel knew Katherine would want Elena to be as far away from any problem as possible.

Not that Katherine would want Elena's protectors to be pulled, but there had been no sign of trouble in or near Mystic Falls for weeks. Isobel decided she needed help to find Katherine. Elena should be safe enough with Damon, Rick and her other vampire and witch friends.

* * *

><p><span>The Last Resort<span>

Damon and Stefan entered the room just in time to hear Elena say, "Please call me if you know anything. Thanks."

"Isobel, or Isobel's phone, actually," Elena said in response to Damon's quizzical look. As he nodded, she asked, "Did you find anything?"

"They got into a car, they drove away." She could hear Damon's frustration as he responded.

"Does that help?" Stefan asked sounding annoyed.

Her ex was still being a jerk, so Elena ignored him. She just held Damon's eyes as he moved to sit next to her on the bed. He pulled her into a hug saying, "We'll figure something out."

She already had a plan. First, try Isobel. That hadn't worked, so she spoke into Damon's chest as he held her. "We'll call Sarah."

"The witch that was here?" Stefan asked, this time sounding surprised.

Elena pulled herself away from Damon enough to look at Stefan and nod. "She and Katherine have…some kind of agreement. They're connected. Maybe she knows something."

Stefan was scowling again when she turned back to Damon. "Do you have her number?"

Damon couldn't help smirking, despite Elena's serious demeanor. "Nope. I don't add many witches to my contacts. I can take you there, though."

Elena sighed. She could feel Stefan glaring at Damon's comment about taking her somewhere. "Maybe, but I'd rather call first."

She had hoped to avoid asking, but stood and headed for the door, saying, "I'll bet Jeremy has her number."


	3. The Problem

_aja81writing did the beta thing on this chapter. Your're the lucky ones..._

The Darkness

"Funny you should call," Elena heard after Sarah had answered.

"Oh?" Elena said.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about going back there, to Mystic Falls. I'd like to talk to you about my family some more."

"Tell her 'hi' for me," Jeremy said, though Elena was trying to ignore him. She knew he was watching her.

"I'd like to talk to you too," Elena said. "Though I'm not sure doing it here is a good idea." She decided to get to the point. "Have you heard from Katherine recently?"

"No," Sarah answered. "I've only heard from her a couple of times since I got back from Mystic Falls, and that was just after I left there."

Elena nodded, then realized Sarah would not see it. She did not want to say anymore about Katherine with Jeremy in the room. She made the decision. "Do you mind if we, Damon and I, come to visit you?"

Sarah hesitated, and Elena wondered if it was because of Damon. She was right.

"Damon?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. I kind of think I'll need him."

"Elena, is there a problem?" the witch asked, sounding a little suspicious.

Elena glanced at Jeremy, then switched to whispering. "I'm not sure, but I want to talk about it in person." She spoke out loud again, "please, Sarah?"

She heard Sarah sigh, but the witch agreed. "Fine. You and Damon are inseparable, aren't you?" When Elena didn't immediately respond, Sarah said "Just him. No other vampires."

"Just him," Elena quickly agreed.

"So…" Sarah tentatively began, "will you bring Jeremy with you?"

Elena rolled her eyes, making sure to keep her back to Jeremy, as Sarah continued. "We've kept in touch and have been trying to come up with a way to see each other again."

"Jeremy told me," the human quickly said, "but I think Jenna needs him here for the next few days. I'd like to leave to go there now, if I can."

Elena could hear the witch's disappointment as she agreed, "Ok. You'll just stay with us, won't you? It'll be dark when you get here."

"That would be great," Elena said, glad Jeremy had not been mentioned again. "But it might not be dark when we get there, Damon will be driving."

* * *

><p><span>The Protection<span>

"You said you talk to her every day," Elena said as she left a glaring Jeremy to go through their shared bathroom into her own room, "so you can't be that upset about not going. And I think Jenna said she needed you here, anyway."

"Jenna didn't tell me anything," Jeremy yelled as his sister walked out of sight, though he didn't follow her.

Damon and Stefan did follow Elena.

"I need to pack," she said to them. "Be back in 20 minutes, Damon?"

"Yeah," Damon said, though he didn't move – he just looked at Stefan, who was glaring at Elena.

"Back in the land of lies, Elena?" Stefan said.

She had just opened her closet to pull out a suitcase, but she turned to face him. "It's for the best," she said softly.

"When did you start believing that, Elena?"

Elena tried not to react, though she felt a bit of a sting at his words. "I need you to stay close to Jenna while we're gone."

"Of course you do," Stefan said angrily. "As always. I think I need to go to the witch with you. As much as you don't want to believe it, you might need me."

Damon was tensing, so she looked for his eyes and whispered, "Damon, give us a minute, OK? Go pack and be back in 20 minutes."

She nodded in encouragement as Damon's eyes found hers. He didn't speak, but she could tell he wasn't happy as he nodded and left the room.

Stefan was still glaring at Elena as she said, "I really do need someone to stay with Jenna. I'd like it to be you."

"I'd really like to go to the witch with you." His face was still so hard, she had to look away.

She took a breath and lowered her eyes. "Do you know what Sarah has done for me, Stefan?"

"I think I got the gist of it."

Elena didn't look back to him until she had pulled her suitcase out of her closet and placed it on the bed. Then she turned to face him. "The 'gist' of it is that she has done more for me than I can ever hope to repay. She knows Damon and will let him come with me, but she doesn't want any other vampires there with me."

He was about to say something, but she interrupted. "As much as she's done for me, I'm going to do as she asks."

"I don't have to go in with you," Stefan argued. "I just want to be there."

"I know, Stefan, but please," she implored as she took a few steps toward him. "You know what's happened here before. Jenna and Jeremy need someone like you with them."

The glare was gone, though he was still obviously upset.

Elena was close to him now, speaking softly, "I know I keep asking you to do this for me, but I also know you keep doing as I ask. I will find a way to repay…"

"Don't!" he cut her off sharply. "Don't treat me like you little lapdog. I'm not."

She shook her head and started to speak, but he raised his finger to cut her off. He hesitated then said, "I'm not giving up on you, Elena."

Then he turned around and headed for the window. She could only stare at first, he had always just agreed before; but she managed to ask "Does that mean you'll do it? Will you protect Jenna for me?"

Stefan stopped, but did not turn around. He really didn't answer her question either. "Jenna will be protected," he said, just before leaving through her window.

* * *

><p><span>The Elation<span>

Elena found herself approaching Jenna again. She knew her aunt would agree, Jenna had come to trust Elena to Katherine, knowing the vampire would make sure her niece was protected. Still, it was always hard for Elena to talk about this with her aunt – even when she wasn't lying.

"Katherine needs me to go to see Sarah," Elena said to her aunt's back. "I need to leave right away," the niece added as Jenna turned from the open refrigerator to face her.

Jenna looked from Elena's eyes to the suitcase in her hand, and back. "Do you know how long you will be gone?"

Elena knew she could not pull off this ruse if she had to answer too many questions. She had it make it fast. "Just a couple of days. No biggie. I just have to talk with Sarah about a few things."

Jenna nodded. "Take Jeremy with you."

"What?" Elena asked. She had started to turn around when Jenna nodded, but now looked back, obviously confused.

"Take Jeremy with you." Jenna repeated. "He could use a couple of days away, and didn't he like that girl?"

"It's business, and I don't want you to be alone," Elena argued.

"I can stay with Rick, or he can stay here. He's not going with you, is he?"

"No, but..."

"I'm sure Jeremy can find something to do while you're working," Jenna's face was firm.

Elena wasn't happy, but decided that giving Jenna a chance to force any more information from her would be worse. "OK," she quickly said, and headed back for the stairs to tell her brother, sure she would be annoyed at his reaction to the news.

She was right. Jeremy was elated, Elena annoyed.

* * *

><p><span>The Trust<span>

It had been a long time since Katherine was so torn, so upset with herself. She couldn't believe that she had let herself fall into a trap. But here she was – a prisoner.

Her captor hadn't visited her since he taunted her earlier that day, since he had made her think that Elena was his target.

She wondered briefly why he hadn't just gone after her doppelganger directly, but then realized he probably had. Since witches were involved, she thought it was probably her captor that had gone after Elena in Mystic Falls a few weeks ago. Maybe he had gone after her at the Proctor house as well.

She needed to get a warning to Elena and the people around her, but still thought that a direct call to the girl, or to Isobel, would be unwise. She had no idea what was happening outside of her prison, but she couldn't risk waiting just to hear that her captor had gotten to Elena.

She decided she could trust Sarah with this. She and the blonde witch had an agreement, and she was sure Sarah was smart enough to warn Elena. And it might not be a bad idea to bring the Proctor witch into this, if it really was her captor that had been involved in the previous attacks on Elena.

* * *

><p><span>The Surprise<span>

"He'll be in the house with her?" Natalie asked her daughter.

"Yes," Sarah replied, "but you know him, Mom. I don't think he would cause problems for us, and you know he won't do anything Elena doesn't want him to. She won't let him do anything to cause trouble."

Natalie studied her daughter. "I know you trust her and her vampires, but…"

The older witch was interrupted by Sarah's phone. She heard her daughter say, "It'll be fine, Mom, like the last time they were here," as Sarah looked at her phone's screen to see who was calling. She saw Sarah's look of surprise as the girl left the room to take the call.

* * *

><p><span>Feeling Sick<span>

"Katherine?" Sarah asked, tentatively.

"I'm sorry to call," Katherine said, speaking very softly. "Get your witch on. My call may put you in danger."

"Wha…?" Sarah began, but she was cut off by Katherine.

"Elena Mors. Tell Elena she is released from her pledge to me."

Sarah heard nothing more, just the click as the vampire disconnected.

Sarah began to get a sick feeling in her stomach. As confused as she was about the message from Katherine, she recognized the Latin word that she and Elena had seen scrawled in her neighbor's bedroom along with Elena's name. She remembered that Nathaniel had said it referred to death.

* * *

><p><span>The Return<span>

"She's not here."

"I can see that!" Isobel snapped. Having the vampire next to her stating the obvious did not improve Isobel's mood at all. It wasn't helping her think, either.

The other vampire tried again. "We should just call the girl. She has a direct line to Katherine…"

"I know that, too!" Isobel shot back, sharply enough that the other vampire cowered. "We are not bringing her into this."

The vampires that were with the doppelganger's birth mother had gotten the message. They kept quiet as Isobel thought.

It didn't take her long to decide that trying to find Katherine by going to her last known locations wasn't working. Katherine was just gone. Isobel would need something else to find her.

She didn't think she was on good enough terms with any witch to ask for a locator spell, she actually owed Bonnie a favor already. But Alaric would be able to get the help of a witch - if she could get his help.

By the time the darkness came, Isobel had made her decision. They were going back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

><p><span>The Problem<span>

Elena was slightly amused as they made the trek from the Proctor driveway to Sarah's front door. It was dark after all by the time they arrived – it had been farther to Sarah's house than Elena ever imagined.

The front door was already open by the time the group reached the porch. Natalie remained inside, though she was at least smiling, as Sarah stepped through the door and greeted Elena with a hug, Elena being the first to reach the door.

"Elena," Sarah whispered while hugging the human girl, "I think there's a…" Sarah cut herself off and gasped.

Elena took a step back so she could see Sarah's face. The blonde witch was obviously surprised, but that expression seemed to last only a fraction of a second. Then Sarah wore an expression that Elena could only describe as beaming, and it made the witch look heartbreakingly beautiful.

Elena had to look behind her, and Damon, who had just put his arm around her, to see what Sarah was looking at.

"You said he wasn't coming." Sarah whispered as Jeremy tentatively approached the porch.

Elena was speechless as the blonde witch passed her and pulled Jeremy into a hug.

The human girl scowled. "Seriously? Sarah, you barely know him and he's sixteen years old. How old are you?"

"Oh," Sarah said, stepping back from Jeremy. "I was hoping for 15 or less, but maybe…"

Elena drew in a quick breath and was about to express her disgust, when Sarah said, "You're really going to play the age-difference card Elena? Really? How much older than you is Damon?"

Elena hesitated, then began "That doesn't …"

"It's not like we're getting engaged or anything," Sarah interrupted.

"But you said you were going to start looking for a ring, right?" Jeremy interjected, his serious face starting to grin as he watched Elena's expression.

"Damon, a little help?" Elena begged.

"I guess I could put them in touch with a jeweler I know…"

"Damon!"

"Come on, Elena," the vampire said. "Watching you watch them is the most entertainment I've had in…" he let is voice trail off and tried to look like he was trying to remember.

"You should come inside," Natalie said with a nod of her head. She was still inside the door. She stepped aside as Sarah pulled Jeremy inside, holding onto his arm just above his elbow. The couple went towards the kitchen. Elena watched them, and was still scowling as she and Damon entered the home.

"So this is why her eyes were sparkling when she arrived home from Mystic Falls." Natalie said as she closed the door behind her.

When Elena gave the older Proctor witch a quizzical look, Natalie continued, "You have no idea how hard it's been for her, Elena. She's been afraid to get close to anyone since her father left. But your brother already knows about witches, and he isn't afraid of them. She's been happier lately."

Elena nodded and looked back towards the kitchen from which Sarah was emerging.

"I told him you'd make something for him," the blonde witch said to her mother. As Natalie nodded and headed for the kitchen, Sarah added a soft "Make it good, Mom."

Elena could only sigh as Sarah turned towards her, the witch's face changing to a serious expression. Elena took Damon's hand as Sarah approached and told the doppelganger "I think there's a problem, Elena."


	4. What He Has

_aj81writing coninues to beta these chapters. Her kindness continues, as does my gratitude... _

The Phones

"I wish you'd recorded it." Elena told Sarah. The witch could see Elena's disappointment, but there was something else in the human's expression. Hope?

Elena suddenly leaned forward. "Show me the number she called from."

When Sarah found the number on her phone and passed it to Elena, the human nodded. "This is it – this is the number the phone Katherine gave me calls when I try to reach her. She called you today?"

Sarah nodded, eyes fixed on Elena's changing expression. Now the brunette looked confused.

Elena turned to Damon. "She called Sarah. She didn't take my call, but she called Sarah."

They were sitting on a couch, Sarah in a nearby chair. Elena leaned back and let Damon put his arm around her. She still held the phone, was still looking at the number on the screen. "She's never just not answered me before, and now she calls Sarah?"

"Maybe it's because she released you from your pledge," Sarah offered, though she knew that it was unlikely. She had been nearby several times as Katherine and Elena interacted. Neither would ignore the other as she spoke, or called. And Sarah would never have believed that Katherine would release Elena from her pledge. Something was wrong.

Elena was just shaking her head. "She wouldn't do it like that, and anyway, what did she mean when she said 'mors'?"

Sarah shrugged. "She said her call would put me in danger. It sounds like you're in danger as well."

Elena was just leaning against Damon now, one of his arms around her, while she held his other hand as it lay on his lap. Sarah's phone was in her other hand. Elena shook her head again, obviously thinking.

"She wouldn't have pulled the 'idiots' from around me if she thought I was in danger."

"So it's just me," the witch said. "Great."

Elena sat up suddenly and looked at Sarah, then Damon, "Damon?" She asked tentatively as the vampire nodded.

He said what both were thinking. "She's in trouble. She's either trying to send you a message or trying to keep you out of it."

"Trying to keep me out of it," the doppelganger said as she pulled her own phone out. Sarah's phone had gone dark, but Elena refreshed it and turned her own phone on. The others watched her and were surprised at what she said when she spoke into her phone.

"Caroline?"

* * *

><p><span>The Witch and the Girlfriend<span>

Isobel was never all that pleasant to be around, but the vampires with her noticed that it was getting worse. Before the sun was up in the morning, she was looking for Alaric. He wasn't at his home or at the school. That left only one place he would be, in her mind anyway, and she was visibly irritated as she approached the door of the Gilbert house.

"Oh!" Jenna said in surprise as she answered the door. "Are you here to see Elena?"

Isobel shook her head and said, "No, I need to see if Rick is here," at the same time Jenna said "Because she's not here. I think she'll be back…"

"Not here!" Isobel yelled as soon as what Jenna was saying registered in her mind. "Where is she?"

"She went to see Sarah," Jenna said, hesitantly, a little confused and Isobel's reaction. "Katherine sent her."

Alaric was behind Jenna now, but moved to pull her behind him. "Isobel, what's going on?"

Isobel had been glaring at Jenna, but softened as she faced Alaric. "We need to talk," she hissed, nodding her head to tell him that he should join her outside.

Alaric looked behind him and whispered "One second," to Jenna.

"Is that not where she went?" Jenna asked, though she remained in place. "Jeremy's with her."

"I'm sure that's where they are," Isobel answered, her voice a little too harsh for Alaric. He pulled her off the porch and into the yard.

"What's going on?" He asked Isobel. "Did Elena not go there?"

"I don't know," Isobel said. She looked like she was thinking, but Alaric could tell she was tense. Had Katherine really talked to Elena?

Alaric glanced back at the door and was relieved to see that Jenna was not visible. "You can't just call you're guys and ask? Surely they have …."

"We're the ones that are supposed to be with Elena!" Isobel snapped, though she kept her voice low. "Did Katherine really tell her to go there?"

Alaric shrugged. "Elena didn't talk to me. "Stefan did. He said he wanted me to stay here because they would be gone for a few days. Then Jenna asked me to do the same."

"Stefan." Isobel nearly spat the word. "That didn't sound wrong to you? When has Stefan ever gone with Elena while she was doing something for Katherine? Or at all, lately?"

"You don't think…" he began.

"Katherine's missing," Isobel interrupted. "If Elena told your girlfriend that Katherine sent her, it was a lie."

"Why would Elena lie?"

"Because she already knows," Isobel deduced. "We need a witch," she added softly to herself.

"Just call Elena." Alaric suggested, turning back towards the house.

"No!" Isobel quickly said, grabbing his arm to stop him. "We don't know what's going on, but if it's anything like recent history…well, you're the teacher."

Alaric was going to tell her off, but nodded as he understood what she was saying. "Someone's after Elena."

Isobel nodded. "Can you get a witch to help us? Can you call Bonnie Bennett?"

He nodded as he turned around, saying, "My phone's inside."

"Don't tell your girlfriend." Isobel said quickly as he walked towards the door.

"Of course not," Alaric said sarcastically. "Why would I tell her that her niece is a liar and her entire family is danger?"

"Just get the witch here," Isobel called to him as he stepped onto the porch.

* * *

><p><span>The Stupidity<span>

"Remind me never to get into your car again," Bonnie said, trying to stretch herself while pulling the passenger seat into an upright position.

"Sleep well?" Stefan asked.

"No!" Bonnie said. "If my dad knew I was sleeping in a car with some guy while I was supposed to be with Elena…"

"You're near Elena," the vampire said. "And I'm not just 'some guy'."

"You are to my dad."

Stefan smirked – something she had never seen on him before. "Worried about what he'll think?"

Bonnie snorted. "Even he knows you only have eyes for Elena, but if he finds out where I am right now, he'll go after you – and I'll help him take you down."

"Just keep it between us," Bonnie added, releasing a breath and shaking her head. She looked through the window at the house she had visited a few weeks ago with Elena and Alaric. "Anything?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not yet."

"I should just go talk to them," Bonnie muttered.

"We weren't invited," the vampire said. "We're not…" He was interrupted by Bonnie's phone.

"Alaric," she said, pulling the phone to her hear after glancing at the screen.

"Hi" Bonnie answered a little tentatively. Alaric had called her before, but it was rare.

"You OK?" he asked

"Sure," the witch replied. Then when he hesitated briefly, she continued, "What's up?"

"We need a favor, Bonnie. A spell."

"Spell?"

"A locator spell. We need to find someone – Katherine, actually"

Bonnie looked at Stefan as she processed the information.

"But I'm with Elena," Bonnie said, stretching the truth. She knew he wouldn't know where she was. "She hasn't asked me for a spell," Bonnie added, wondering if Elena was inside asking for one from Sarah.

"Not Elena," Alaric said quickly. "Isobel needs the spell." Then her statement that she was not with Elena registered in his mind. "You're with Elena and Jeremy?"

"Jeremy's here?" Bonnie asked Stefan in surprise, speaking softly and holding the phone so Alaric would not hear. He just shrugged and said, "Not that I know."

"Look," Bonnie told Alaric "I'm at Sarah's house. So is Elena. If Isobel wants Katherine, she should just call her."

"She's with Elena." Bonnie heard Alaric tell someone.

"Then we're done here." Bonnie heard Isobel tell Alaric. "We'll have to go to Elena. You coming?"

Bonnie heard a hesitation, then Alaric said into the phone. "Got to go," and was gone.

Stefan looked expectantly at the witch as she put her phone away.

"Isobel's coming," she said flatly.

"Elena tried to call Isobel earlier. She didn't answer."

"We'll she's coming now," Bonnie said, then, getting out of the car, she added, "This is stupid."

"You're not invited!" Stefan called after her as he watched the witch walk towards the Proctor house. He remained in his car, watching her from a distance.

* * *

><p><span>Civility and Surprise<span>

"Sleep well?" Damon asked, standing as Elena emerged from the hall and entered the Proctor living room.

Elena nodded and pulled him into a hug.

"The sheriff called." Elena whispered. "She was able to trace the call from Katherine to Sarah. It's time to go."

"Good," Damon said, still hugging her. He wasn't going to let her go until she released him.

"I want Sarah to come with us, but we need a way to make Jeremy stay." Elena finally released him as her phone rang.

"Where did Liz trace the call to?" Damon asked as Elena looked at the screen. She didn't answer Damon. She just scowled and pulled the phone to her head.

"I called you hours ago. Where have you been?"

Isobel's response was icy. "I suppose it's too much to expect for you to be civil to your mother."

Elena sighed, then turned to look at the door as Sarah opened it. She had heard the knock somewhere in the back of her mind, but had been paying so much attention to Damon, then her phone, that she hadn't noticed the witch entering the living room or walking past her.

She was startled to see who was at the door, though it was Sarah who spoke to the visitor.

"Bonnie?"

"Elena!" the doppelganger heard from her phone as both witches looked at her.

* * *

><p><span>What he Has<span>

Katherine moved at top speed towards him as soon as the door opened, but she just hit the wall of the spell again as he entered the room. Though she was frustrated, she managed to match the smirk on the face of the other vampire.

When he just looked at her for a few seconds, she asked "What?"

"She's gone to the rebel Proctor witches. Everything is falling into place."

Katherine knew she was giving away too much as she sighed and lowered her eyes, because he said. "She should be here anytime now."

She managed to return her face to a glare as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "So why aren't you afraid?"

His smirk remained. "Of Elena Gilbert?"

"You've sent vampires after her before. Did any return to you?" She thought his smirk faltered a little. "Any humans or witches that returned did so because she let them go. I would think you would be terrified."

He was glaring back at her now, but turned to leave. "This time I have you."

Katherine wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but she was sure she wouldn't like it.


End file.
